Online Travel Content is in Need of a Makeover

According to a September 2009 Forrester Research report, Poor Content Could Cost Travel eBusiness Money, hotels are particularly vulnerable to losing money due to inadequate online content.

Travelers have had enough of the generic, poorly organized, and confusing written and visual content on travel sites.

“Just half of US online leisure hotel guests are satisfied with the written descriptions and visual content they find online for hotel accommodations and public areas. This affects the bottom line: 38% of US online hotel guests say they avoid staying at certain hotels because the Web site lacks the photos, video, or written content that would make them feel comfortable.”

Who are these travelers?

They are considered content-sensitive travelers.

Here’s what Forrester knows about them:

Represent 45.7 Million US hotel guests

Young

Quality-focused

Take more trips

Spend more on leisure travel

Give your online content a face-lift

Invest in rich visual content – photography, 360° spins and video. You need to have current photography and video on travel websites as they are gateways to your own sales channels. “According to Sapient, adding video to a travel client’s site more than doubled the number of people who went on to book the product.”

Marry your visuals with written content to provide context. “Context helps to shift decision making away from price and enables travelers to make better-informed decisions. Context means offering useful information and details and support making relevant comparisons between products and services.”

Ensure your content is reaching travel shoppers wherever they are and giving them the rich visual experience they demand. These days, travel shoppers use multiple websites while planning their trips including online travel agencies, social media and review sites, destination sites and more. In fact, a study by Google found that when planning a vacation, the average person spends 29 days doing 12 searches and visits 22 different travel sites.

Our VBrochure Online Merchandising System is the industry standard for delivering rich visual experiences to travel shoppers wherever they shop for travel online. Give your online content a face-lift today and stop losing bookings due to an undifferentiated, unappealing online presence. Visual merchandising with VBrochure is a proven way to increase conversions as much as 115% and drive more bookings. Contact us to learn more.

Leonardo is a technology company serving the global hospitality industry. We provide e-marketers at hotel brands, management companies, hotel properties and travel websites with technology solutions that improve the way they present their hotels online to travel shoppers.